In her latest article on the work of Share the Light, Sophie Astles writes about some of the ways advocates and their families have recently been able to offer direct support to young people in Zambia.

Period poverty refers to a lack of access to sanitary products due to financial constraints. It is a global issue and has recently made the headlines in the UK, with the government pledging to fund free sanitary products in all English secondary schools, following a similar scheme that has already launched in Scotland.

A lack of access to sanitary protection brings a range of hygiene risks, but can also have a significant impact on attendance at school. For example, it is estimated that 1 in 10 girls in Africa miss at least one day of school a month as they are unable to afford sanitary products, or because their schools lack clean, safe toilets. It’s easy to forget the importance of menstrual care, particularly when you’ve never had to worry about it, but for many women both in the UK and across the world, getting hold of a tampon is not just a question of popping to the chemist.

At Share the Light, we’re incredibly lucky to have some talented, engaged and enthusiastic supporters. Sharon read an article discussing the lengths some women go to in order to access sanitary protection and wanted to do something to help. Her thoughts went to Share the Light and she set herself a target of raising £500 to cover the costs of sanitary products for the girls living at the City of Joy.

The latest project from the Bosco Centre in Bermondsey is a community cafe in the Docklands Settlement, serving delicious food and real coffee at affordable prices, while giving work skills and experience to young people with special educational needs.

The Bosco Centre was founded three decades ago by Sr Cecily Dunn, who died three years ago today (24 May 2016), and the cafe is the project of the current director, Darren Coghlan.

In 2017, St John Bosco Arts College, a Salesian Sisters' school for girls in Croxteth near Liverpool, became the first UK school to send a delagation to China, after it was selected as an ambassador school by Access China UK, an organisation which funds school partnerships in China and promotes the exchange of ideas through different international programmes, and paired uop with a sister school, Wenzhou No.2 Foreign Language School.

Text and photos: The Foundry Agency

Students from St John Bosco Arts College have recently returned from an eight day trip to China. 36 students from years 9 and 10, plus four members of staff, embarked on the 10 and a half hour journey from London to Shanghai, and immediately commenced their whistle stop tour of some of the sights of China by visiting The Bund, a waterfront area in central Shanghai and one of the most famous tourist destinations.

The following days saw visits to The Shanghai Museum, The Yuyuan Garden and the Yuyuan Bazaar, Zhujiajiao Water Town, Jiangxin Island on the Oujiang River at Wenzhou city and Wuma Street Shopping in Wnenzhou and the magnificent views from Wenzhou Jiushan Park.

Everyone entered into the cultural experience with enthusiasm using chop sticks and eating the local food at the numerous local restaurants.

The group then travelled by fast train to Wenzhou at speeds of up to 217 mph to visit its sister school, Wenzhou No.2 Foreign Language School.

On International Women's Day, Sophie Astles from Salesian-inspired charity, Share the Light, describes their support for the Salesian Sisters' work with women and girls in Zambia

Education is power. Historically, this fact has led to access to education being limited based on factors such as gender, class and ethnicity. In the UK, the first women to graduate from a British university did not do so until 1869. While in 2017, nearly half of women in the UK had entered higher education by the age of 19, access to even basic schooling in countries such as Zambia is often not available to female students. Pregnancy, early marriage and extreme poverty are all factors in restricting girls and young women, as well as an expectation that they will stay at home and help to cook, clean and care for siblings.

At Share the Light, we know how valuable education is as a tool for changing lives. We were created after a wonderful teacher recognised a need for sponsorship to keep children in school, and while we continue this work and other projects, we also support the Salesian Sisters' project for women and girls, City of Joy.

Sophie Astles continues our series of articles from Share the Light, a charity created from the projects and links developed by the staff and students of Salesian College Farnborough with young people in Zambia.

Home: the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. A safe and loving family home is certainly something I have always taken for granted, particularly as a child. Many of us are lucky enough for this to be a given and to grow up without even having to consider an alternative. However, for many children around the world, a secure home and family is not always the reality.

Zambia has been badly affected by the AIDS crisis, and this has left many families with the eldest sibling at the head. Alongside high levels of poverty, this leaves girls and young women particularly vulnerable, open to abuse and unsafe in their own homes. In response to this, the Salesian Sisters founded the City of Joy in 2008.

Our small group of Salesian World Youth Day pilgrims from Britain were delighted to present when Mother Yvonne Reungoat FMA, Superior General of the Salesian Sisters, officially opened the new relic shrine and pilgrim centre in honour of Blessed Mary Romero Meneses in Panama City this week.

The new centre, housed in the Church of Mary Help of Christians at the city’s Don Bosco Institute, will serve the faithful of Panama and the surrounding countries.

St John Bosco Arts College has wowed audiences with its 2018 school production, The Greatest Show. More than 240 of students from Years 7 to 13 were cast in the production, inspired by last year’s blockbuster hit The Greatest Showman.

Every two years, Eamonn McDonald of the Cowley Co-operators, organises a Pilgrimage to Italy which always includes Valdocco and the places associated with Don Bosco. Sixteen “Pilgrims” set off from various parts of the U.K. We all met in Bologna Airport where our coach took us to Rimini where the Salesians have a holiday house facing the sea! Accommodation, food and weather were excellent. Our Sisters gave us a warm welcome at our house round the corner! On one day a guided tour of the ancient Republic of San Marino was included, a remarkable experience into another world and outstandingly beautiful!

Students, staff and governors from St John Bosco Arts College weren't daunted by the heat and blazing sunshine as they completed their Race for Life on Monday 2nd July, in support of cancer research.

Over 40 of them followed a 5k course around the school site, in Croxteth, near Liverpool, in an event organised as part Cancer Research UK's Race for Life Schools Programme. Training and preparations began some time ago, and included a fundraising campaign and assemblies to raise awareness and encourage support, using materials provided by the charity.

In addition to the runners and walkers, the event was suported by staff and students acting as marshalls and water assistants in the scorching conditions on the day.

The school is very proud of its staff and students, and grateful to everyone who made the event possible: "What a fantastic way to raise money for Cancer Research and what a great team spirit!"

Most of us have been affected by cancer in some way, and although more people are now surviving, there is so much more to be done to find new treatments and put an end to this disease. The efforts of the SJBA Race for Life Team are an inportant contribution to this.

If you would like to make a donation and support the St John Bosco 5k team, their JustGiving page will remain open for a while longer.

On 6th April, our Salesian family and friends gathered in Paisley to celebrate the silver jubilee of Sr Connie Cameron FMA, Provincial of the Salesian Sisters GBR. It was a wonderful celebration to give thanks for Connie and for her joyful witness to FMA life over the last 25 years!